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During the reawaking of a volcano, magmas migrating through the shallow crust have to pass
through hydrothermal fluids and rocks. The resulting magma–hydrothermal interactions are
still poorly understood, which impairs the ability to interpret volcano monitoring signals and
perform hazard assessments. Here we use the results of physical and volatile saturation
models to demonstrate that magmatic volatiles released by decompressing magmas at a
critical degassing pressure (CDP) can drive volcanic unrest towards a critical state. We show
that, at the CDP, the abrupt and voluminous release of H2O-rich magmatic gases can heat
hydrothermal fluids and rocks, triggering an accelerating deformation that can ultimately
culminate in rock failure and eruption. We propose that magma could be approaching the
CDP at Campi Flegrei, a volcano in the metropolitan area of Naples, one of the most densely
inhabited areas in the world, and where accelerating deformation and heating are currently
being observed.